{"id":2486,"date":"2014-04-22T00:04:26","date_gmt":"2014-04-22T00:04:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/?page_id=2486"},"modified":"2014-04-22T00:04:26","modified_gmt":"2014-04-22T00:04:26","slug":"kenneth-poyner-april-2014","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/archives\/kenneth-poyner-april-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Kenneth Poyner, April 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Lovers<\/strong><\/p>\n

You are the alligator in my bathtub:
\nWhat you might eat of me
\nIs different in this environment
\nThan if we met in the reed shallows
\nOf some great lake where children
\nGo to gig frogs.<\/p>\n

Those children plan to gig enough frogs
\nThat dinner for the whole family –
\nA family weary from the bottomless day of tending
\nAnd herding and washing and gossip
\nAnd bearing and ceremonial conflict –
\nIs gathered with simply one lone sharpened stick:<\/p>\n

And then together they disappear.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 
\nThe Penultimate Interrogator<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/a>
\nIt is that interrogator\u2019s job
\nTo ask no questions at all.
\nHe stands there, brooding,
\nAs you get used to your little chair.
\nHe has his arms folded most of the time,
\nBut occasionally drops them to his sides,
\nRuns his hands into his pockets. He seems
\nJust a tad bit flawed, just a tad bit
\nIncomplete, as though in six months
\nHe will be considered for promotion
\nInto a job for which he is not yet
\nReady. You keep your knees
\nTogether and lean forward: away
\nFrom the back of the chair, if you are
\nA woman; or fold your feet on their toes
\nWith knees splayed and your back
\nAgainst the chair\u2019s back as though
\nTo challenge it,
\nIf you are a man.
\nHe knows
\nThis is how it plays out. Somewhere
\nHe has seen a training film on the specifics.
\nYou alternate staring at him with glancing
\nAt him, and you grip the sides of the chair,
\nIf you are a woman; cross your arms,
\nIf you are a man.
\nHe conserves motion,
\nLetting his energy out only when it seems
\nHe will burst. With time
\nYou wonder if there will be
\nEnough oxygen in the room
\nFor the both of you. He does not need
\nThe water left on the small three legged table
\nStaged in the corner. He will not need
\nTo visit the bathroom. You imagine
\nWhat there is you might keep hidden within
\nTo tell his relief.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ken Poyner and his wife enjoy their four rescue cats and two alpha betta fish in the southeast corner of Virginia, where both of them have family roots to the area that go back several hundred years. \u00a0Ken\u2019s latest book, \u201cConstant Animals<\/em>\u201d, 42 ungovernable fictions, can be found through links at www.kpoyner.com, or directly at www.amazon.com. \u00a0He has had recent work in \u201cAnalog\u201d, \u201cCream City Review\u201d, \u201cLime Hawk\u201d, \u201cCorium\u201d, \u201cVending Machine Press\u201d and several others. \u00a0He has not found a way of working his wife\u2019s power lifting career into his writing, which is probably best for all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Lovers You are the alligator in my bathtub: What you might eat of me Is different in this environment Than if we met in the reed shallows Of some great lake where children Go to gig frogs. Those children plan to gig enough frogs That dinner for the whole family – A family weary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":934,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2486","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nKenneth Poyner, April 2014 - Full Of Crow: Poetry (Archives)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fullofcrow.com\/poetry\/archives\/kenneth-poyner-april-2014\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kenneth Poyner, April 2014 - Full Of Crow: Poetry (Archives)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Lovers You are the alligator in my bathtub: What you might eat of me Is different in this environment Than if we met in the reed shallows Of some great lake where children Go to gig frogs. 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